Board approves budget without retroactivity

Teachers in the Somerset Area School District lost thousands of dollars Monday evening as school board members voted unanimously to remove retroactivity from future negotiations.

But, with approving the $27.7 million budget, property owners will not see a tax hike this year.

In some cases, based on the board's latest offer, some teachers lost as much as $33,567.

During the board's committee meeting, which is open to the public, elementary teacher Connie Hay pleaded with the members to not take retroactivity off of the negotiating table.

"I think that no other business in this district should be conducted until we resolve this contract," she said. "We are not going to need a swimming pool if we have no kids to swim in it. We are not going to need a renovated high school if we have no kids to go there. We are not going to need new classrooms if there are no teachers to teach."

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The school board and the Somerset Area Education Association (SAEA) have been negotiating a new teachers' contract since January 2000. The teachers have been working under provisions of a contract that expired in June 2000.

"This contract (dispute) needs to end. If this money is taken off of the (table) and it can't be brought back, then we ended this district as we know," Hay said. "(Teachers) are not going to sign a contract without at least some retroactivity. It is just not going to happen."

Hay admitted that teachers attempted to have a meeting Friday, but the union's membership would not call an official one.

"We have done everything to get a meeting. Our meeting was lost Friday," she said. "We have spoken to the Labor Relations Board."

Hay said that even if a vote on the most recent offer was taken, the majority of rank and file teachers would have rejected it.

"I know that you hope and you wish… and I pray… that even if we took a vote, that would not have been passed. That was not a compromise," Hay said.

School board president John Coleman said he believes that the union's membership has other intentions.

"We are utterly convinced that this union leadership will accept nothing but everything," Coleman said.

Board member James Cascio said the community wants to see a settlement.

"We have told the community that we were prepared to raise taxes by 2 mills in order to get a settlement based on our offer," Cascio said. "We haven't had anybody come to us and say, 'Don't you dare raise taxes.' The community is more aware than you think they are. They are looking at the details of these offers and that is who we have to answer to."

On the health care issue, board member Gisela McLaughlin told Hay that few residents have good coverage.

"The community and the taxpayers want you to have a reasonable ownership of the health care and we really compromised on that," said McLaughlin. "Some of us didn't want to do that. We really came down on that. A lot of people don't have access to the type of health care that you have."

During the board's regular meeting, member Karen Addleman addressed the audience in ratifying her vote to approve the reduced budget, less retroactivity.

"I'm appalled that the SAEA's negotiation committee did not have the decency and respect for the rank and file to allow them to vote on the board's last formal offer," she said.

She said teachers have pleaded with her on the issues.

"Throughout these long four years, many teachers have spoken with me and said that what we are proposing was acceptable to them. What is the SAEA's negotiating team afraid of?" she said. "The way I see it, the SAEA's negotiating team has instituted dictatorial powers over the rank and file and convinced themselves that by not allowing the membership to vote, they are acting in the best interest of the entire membership."

Such instances influenced her vote Monday.

"With last week's events where the rank and file were not given the opportunity to vote, my decision is no longer a problem for me," she said.

McLaughlin had one simple question for the union's membership:

"If they are confident about it (not passing) why not vote?" McLaughlin said.

Based on the board's offer, five teachers are left to lose more than $30,000 each. Six teachers face to lose $20,000 to $29,999. Another 52 teachers will lose between $10,000 to $19,999. Lastly, the remaining 113 teachers would lose up to $9,999.

The board also voted Monday to move $1.5 million from the district's general fund to the capital improvement reserve fund. This "unspecified funds" transfer will help keep the district under the 8 percent maximum based on Act 48 regulations. All districts must have less that 8 percent of their budgeted expenditures in their general fund.

Board member Eric Ludy opposed this transfer.

The board members also designated $1.25 million of the current capital improvement reserve fund for renovations to the junior and senior high scools, including the swimming pool, field house and athletic fields.

The board members unanimously approved the $27.7 million budget that excluded retroactive pay. The budget is about $500,000 in the red, but board members say they will use funds from the district's fund balance to make up the difference. Millage will remain at 30 mills for the 2004-05 fiscal year.

Messages left for SAEA president Jon Critchfield on his cellular telephone and an e-mailed request for comment was not returned. His home telephone line was busy for most of the evening.

His wife Mary Critchfield, SAEA vice-president, said in a brief telephone conversation at 11 p.m. that Jon was out of town and she would not comment.